


From The Life-Tree We Go

by ljufvina



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Assassin's Creed Valhalla Post-Canon, Canon Divergence, F/M, assassin's creed Valhalla - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28342725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ljufvina/pseuds/ljufvina
Summary: (Spoilers for Assassin's Creed Valhalla's ending!)After she finally understood what Basim had been speaking about when he had tried to kill her all those months ago, Eivor returned to the cave in Hordafylke to release him from Yggdrasil's branches.
Relationships: Eivor/Basim Ibn Ishaq
Comments: 11
Kudos: 109





	1. The Hanged-One Awakes

**Eivor**

"Gungnir, is it you?" Eivor asked as she approached the spear stuck in the wall. She wrapped her hand around its hilt and was suddenly hurled into a memory; a memory in which she fought Odin, fought herself.

 _"I gave you everything you wanted. Everything you needed!"_ Odin's voice echoed through her head.

 _"You gave me nothing. It was all me!"_ she heard herself shout.

She shook herself out of it. Odin was gone now and she was happy about it. He had been poisoning her mind for way too long. Steering her mind in directions that were no part of who she was.

She pulled the spear out of the wall and it buzzed in her hands. It felt right to hold it, despite her discord with its former owner. She fastened it in her weapon holster on her back and took a deep sigh. She turned around and walked to the big stone door. She had postponed this moment for too long. Her gaze floated towards the empty spot above the door where the Saga Stone had once sat.

"Zrhwachày nagwàt nsmæ br trrhwndi kwardæ, l sorhwlas vras chnàkôdi de, nsm huchràs réyzdéràæ chaz zàwomsi," she spoke. The words came to her naturally now that she had heard Sigurd speak them that one time. As if it had unlocked an ancient memory. Odin might be gone, but his memories still lived in her mind, clearer than they ever were.

The door opened and she stepped through. This time she did not look around the room like she had done the first time Sigurd had brought her here. Her eyes were now solely fixed on the plate that would bring her down to the Life Tree, to Basim. With long strides she made her way towards it and went to stand in the middle, her footing firm.

"Hoærhàsi!"

The plate rumbled under her feet and started moving down. Eivor's heart made a small leap. She had not expected it to work again, yet why shouldn't it? It had worked for Sigurd when he had spoken the word. It had worked for Basim as well when he had followed them... Just like last time, it kept going down for she didn't know how long and with every passing breath, she became more nervous. This was unlike her. Eivor Wolf-Kissed did not get nervous easily. She faced battles with a calm through her body, her mind clear, her axe-grip firm.

As light suddenly filled the darkness around her, and the Life Tree came into view, she thought for a second Sigurd was standing next to her again, beaming at the sight, acting as her guide, but of course she was alone. She could've used his support right now; however, they had agreed she should do this alone. Of course, he knew about her plan. She discussed everything with him. He was her best advisor and her truest friend. Besides, only he understood what was really going on. It had taken some convincing on her part when she had explained to him what she wanted to do. Basim had tried to kill them both and Sigurd was less forgiving than she was. In the end he had given in. She was the Jarlskona after all and he knew it meant a great deal to her.

As in a daze, Eivor made her way over to the tree, almost falling over a few of the many stone steps on her way. She tried not to look at him, but he was like a magnet. The closer she came, the stronger the pull. Only when she stood in-between Yggdrasil's branches did she look up. She first looked at Svala, Valka's mother. Freya. Then her gaze floated to the man beside her: Basim. Loki. 

_"I will leave you here to die. Like a rotting fruit on a dying tree!"_ his voice echoed through her head from her memories.

A lump caught in her throat. 

"You bastard," she spat at his unresponsive form and a sob followed. She quickly swallowed and clenched her jaw, aware of the last time she had uttered the same word at him.

 _"Does he still live?"_ Her own words resurfaced.

 _"He does. But in darkness,"_ Sigurd replied at her past self.

_"Good... The bastard."_

Basim hadn't changed much. His body still looked strong. He was barely any thinner than the last time she had seen him, even though it had been months. There were still mysteries about Yggdrasil she hadn't managed to figure out yet.

Eivor started climbing, starting at the base of the tree, and made her way towards the branches until she was perched on the one Basim was hanging from. She wrapped her legs around it and slowly slid sideways until she was hanging upside down in front of the Assassin. She removed his sword from its sheath and fastened it on her own belt. Then she took away his dagger, throwing knives, and searched for smoke bombs, but he had probably used them all up during their fight. 

Next, she unfastened his hidden blade. She felt bad about taking it away from him. Her own hidden blade had started feeling like a part of her, an extension of her arm. She even kept it on while she slept. However, it was necessary to take it away from Basim, for now. She couldn't be sure if he would even listen to her. She couldn't be sure if he wouldn't try to kill her as soon as he woke up.

Finally, she took a piece of rope from her belt and used it to bind his hands together. Then she pulled herself back upright and dropped to the ground. A few moments passed before she could bring herself to make her way over to the metal sphere. She hadn't discussed with Sigurd how she would actually get the branch to let go of Basim. In her mind it would just work. However, it would be a shame if she came all this way to Norway for the sphere not to listen to her the way she had imagined.

The sphere was dark, its light gone ever since Sigurd had turned it off one way or the other. She stretched out her hand and laid it upon the cool metal. For one second, nothing happened. Then there was a sudden jolt that shot through her body like Thor had struck her, and she wasn't able to move. Bright light emitted from the orb once more and Eivor heard the tree branches whizzing behind her. She willed her mind to focus on the branch that was holding Basim, willed it to let him go. The lightning kept going through her, but with every second it became easier to bear until at one point it stopped altogether and she managed to pull back her hand. She fell back, her shoulder painfully hitting the stone floor, but she quickly sat up to look around. Basim's limp body was being lowered to the ground. It had worked.

The claw let him go and he hit the floor with a thud. He didn't move. For a few seconds Eivor thought he might be dead after all and her mind had just tricked her into thinking he had still looked the same. Then a moan came from his motionless form.

 _"Ah! The hanged-one awakes! Feet upon the ground once more!"_ she heard him speak, as if there was another one of him standing further away, his dagger at Sigurd's throat, and _she_ was the one waking up instead, but of course it was a memory again.

Eivor sat motionless and watched as Basim slowly stirred, while she built up the courage to get up and approach him.

Basim moaned again, clearly in pain from whatever state he was in. Had the fall hurt him? Or were it the months of neglect upon his muscles? Eivor never let herself sit still for even one day, keeping her muscles warm at all times. As a drengr, the state of ones muscles meant life or death. She willed them to work right now and slowly got up.

"Basim." Her voice came out hoarse. His form became still again. She went down the stone steps, not paying attention to the metal sphere anymore, which still emitted its bright light and made her own form cast a long shadow on the ground.

"Where is my blade?" He asked slowly, his voice weak.

"I took it from you. I have it here," Eivor replied.

He pushed himself up on his knees using his bound wrists and looked up at her, his eyes dark.

"Have you returned to kill me, Havi?" he asked as Eivor stepped down from the last step into the circle of Yggdrasil's branches. She stopped a few meters from him.

"No. I'm here to bring you home," she replied. She took a good look at him. Her eyes had not deceived her. He did look the same as when they had left him.

He grimaced and a chuckle came from his mouth. First quietly, but then louder. She almost didn't recognise his voice as Basim's. It was Loki through and through. Was Basim even still in there? Or was he gone? Had Loki won and left behind everything Basim had been when he set out to kill her those months ago?

"You're still as stupid as you were last time I saw you. If you had dug into your memories, like I'd told you to, you knew we could never walk out of this cave together."

"Oh I have been digging, _Loki_ , and I have uncovered a great deal," Eivor said, putting emphasis on the tricksters name, as she started pacing. Images of her time in Asgard and Jotunheim flashed through her mind.

"Then you know what you did," Basim spat.

"I do!" Eivor stopped pacing and rounded at him. "I know what _Odin_ did to you. To your son, Fenrir. But I'm not him. Not anymore. I banished him. He is gone now."

Basim was quiet for a minute and Eivor did not fill that silence. She let him process what she had just said. 

"Somehow," he began slowly, "I find that hard to believe." As he finished his sentence he suddenly got up and shot forward as fast as a snake and crashed into her. She lost her balanced and crashed onto the floor again, Basim on top of her. She struggled to get away from him, but he pinned down her shoulder — which was still painful from her previous fall — with one of his knees. He placed his hands around her neck and squeezed her windpipe shut. She should've seen this coming and should've bound his wrists behind his back instead of in front of him.

She gasped for air, but none entered her system. Basim was strong and had the advantage of gravity. His jaw was clenched and his eyes dark and determined. He was not going to let go anytime soon.

With her right hand she fumbled her axe from its holster at her belt. Basim didn't notice it through his concentration. Dark spots flew through her vision followed by white flashes, but with all the power she could muster, she bashed the wooden knob of her axe into Basim's ribs. He grunted and his grip on her throat loosened. She hit him again and he fell away to the side, his knee leaving her shoulder as well, which gave her the space she needed to roll away from him. She clumsily got up, grabbing at her sore throat with her free hand and coughing with every breath of fresh air she managed to take. Through her gasping she saw Basim was lying on his side, his face contorted in pain. He pushed his arm against the place she had hit him as best as he could with his bound wrists. 

When she was done coughing, Eivor pointed her axe at him.

"Would Odin have come here, all the way to Norway, to release you from Yggdrasil's branch?" Eivor asked angrily, her voice even hoarser than it already had been before he had tried to strangle her. "I know his mind, Basim. I know it like no other. He wouldn't. He would've stayed in his hall, drank his mead, content with Loki stowed far away in a dark corner in a mountain of ice!" she continued, her arms gesturing violently. She felt very frustrated. If only she could show him her mind, show him that it was empty of Odin's presence. Then he wouldn't want to kill her anymore, right?

"Then why are you here?" Basim asked, the venom still clear in his voice. He slowly tried to sit up, but he was clearly in a lot of pain.

Eivor sighed.

"Because I understand now. I understand why you wanted revenge. If I were you, I would've wanted the same thing." Eivor started pacing again. "When I returned to England, I didn't know anything. I was confused and angry, because I didn't know why you'd followed us to kill us. But the memories returned to me, thanks to Valka, and I realised who you were." She stopped in front of him and lowered herself so she was at eye level, still out of arm's reach to be sure. Basim's glare was cold, but there was a grain of curiosity in them now.

"What Odin did to Fenrir was terrible and unfair, but I never would've done something like that. I'm not him, Basim, just like I know you are not Loki."

At those words he quickly averted his eyes. There was a long silence again.

"He's all I am. I'm nothing without him. There is nothing left in this world for me, except his revenge — my revenge," he said. His voice had changed. It had lost a bit of its harshness it had had a few moments ago. It was the voice of the Basim she had known, or at least she thought she had known.

"That's not true. You know that," Eivor said as she shuffled slightly closer. "What of Sigurd? You loved him, didn't you? You said so to me when we were searching for him. What of Hytham? He sees you as a father, Basim. Don't you love him? He was devastated when you left him."

She had shared her plan to retrieve Basim with Hytham as well. She had tried to explain the truth about him, her and Sigurd as best as she could. He had been confused, but she knew he wanted to believe her. He wanted his mentor back more than anything. For a short time, she had considered bringing him with her to Norway, but eventually she had decided against it. She didn't want to put him in danger if she could avoid it and she couldn't have known in what state Basim would be when she found him. If she lost a friend to one of her plans again, she would never forgive herself. She had seen enough loved ones die in the last year to last a lifetime.

Basim opened his mouth and closed it again. She had clearly struck a chord by mentioning Hytham. He was silent for a long time.

"I'm tired, Eivor," he finally said quietly and she knew it was Basim speaking now instead of Loki.

"Then come home with me. Leave this all behind. Leave our past selves behind."

Basim shook his head.

"My family... my son...," he muttered, looking past her.

"Loki's son, Basim." Eivor moved her head so she was right in his line of vision again. "Your family is the Raven Clan. It's Hytham. It's Sigurd. It's _me_."

Basim looked at her again. "You left me here," he stated.

Eivor sighed in exasperation. Why couldn't he see? She hadn't _known_ back then. If she had, she would've tried to search for another solution.

"You tried to kill me. I loved you and you tried to kill me!" She got up and moved away, turning her back towards him, her fists balled. How could she ever have thought he would come with her? He had tried to kill her again, using his bare hands. She felt the disgust his gaze had shown while his hands were on her throat poisoning her from the inside. She wished she had taken Sigurd or Hytham after all, and let them do the talking. Now she considered putting Basim back onto Yggdrasil's branch and sailing back to England without him.

"Loved me?" Basim's voice came quietly from behind her.

Eivor turned around again, a bit surprised at the sudden lack of hostility.

" _Love_ you. I still do." She sighed and walked towards him, took out her dagger, squatted down and cut the rope from his wrists. "Go if you must. You're no prisoner. But don't try to kill me again. You will lose," she said. 

Basim rubbed his wrists.

"Give me back my blade first," Basim muttered. Of course it would be the first thing he asked for. She would've done the same. 

She took Basim's hidden blade by loosening one of the straps from which it hung on her belt and handed it to him while watching his face, gauging if there was any trick to his way in which he clumsily grabbed it and tried to fasten it around his wrist with a shaking hand.

"Let me help." Eivor took the leather strap from his fingers and pulled it through the buckle, fastening it tightly. Then she did the same with the second one. Basim stretched out his fingers and slowly turned his wrist, examining the weapon intently. Without warning the blade shot out. Eivor didn't flinch.

"It's funny how losing one's weapon, feels like losing one's entire arm," he said. She nodded in understanding, then got up and walked past him.

"I'm going back to my boat," she said over her shoulder.

The sound of Basim's retracting blade sounded behind her followed by the shuffling sound of him getting up.

"I'll come with you."


	2. The Blinding Fate

**Basim**

It took a long time to get to the boat. Basim's steps were shaky and slow from the pain in his ribs and from his weak legs which were not used to carrying his weight anymore. It was not a great combination with the deep snow outside of the cave.

At one point when he almost fell, Eivor took his arm around her neck and put hers around his back. That way they ploughed onwards through the white rocky landscape together, their hoods pulled up against the icy wind. Neither of them spoke. Basim was occupied enough with his own thoughts.

He noticed Eivor looking at his hidden blade from the corners of her eyes a few times, but he had no intentions of using it. For now. Instead he held his injured side with the arm that wore the blade to relieve it a bit of the pain which shot through it with every step. If he killed her now, he would never get through the snow on his own. 

There was also another thing that kept him from killing her outright: a small seed of doubt she had planted in his head when she had released him from the branch of Yggdrasil — a lingering question which only he himself could find the answer to, and which he would. Soon.

Pain shot through him again as his foot slipped on a particularly icy piece of rock. When he got his footing back he grimaced.

"You hit well, Wolf-Kissed," he said. Eivor replied with a scoff. 

He wouldn't be surprised if the knob of her axe had caused one or more of his ribs to break. It was his own fault of course. He shouldn't have lost himself and jumped at her with no weapons and barely any strength in him, but he couldn't help himself. Rage had filled him when she stood in front of him again, and all he could see was the one-eyed man who had taken away his son... But now that he thought of it, he didn't know what had gotten into him. Those were the conflicting thoughts he was battling with right now. 

When they finally reached the shore where the longship was anchored, they were greeted with bewildered expressions from Eivor's crew.

"What is _he_ doing here, Jarlskona?" one of them, Basim remembered her as Sunniva, asked warily from out of the boat. He looked at her and caught her eyes at which she pulled up her nose and spat in the water.

The crew had spotted him when he had followed Eivor and Sigurd to the cave the last time he had been at the shore. There wasn't much space to hide a second boat in the valley. They had called after him, asked him what he was up to, when he stepped ashore and made his way to Goinnhellir, but thanks to the blizzard, he was quickly hidden from their sight again. They had probably heard what had happened after Eivor and Sigurd had plunged him into the Grey and returned to the boat.

"He's coming with us back to Ravensthorpe," Eivor simply replied to Sunniva. 

They would never accept him on their boat.

"They will throw me off the first chance they get," Basim muttered from under his hood.

Eivor glanced at him and something in him stirred again. His hands twitched.

"No, they won't," she replied. "They answer to me." 

The water soaked Basim's boots and pants and was so cold, it felt like he was being stung by a thousand needles. Eivor would have the same problem, but she didn't show any sign of it. She had lived here for the biggest part of her life, so she was probably used to it.

"Finnr, Rollo, pull him up," Eivor ordered two of her Jomsvikings as they finally reached the longship. Basim grunted in pain as he was lifted out of the icy water. Eivor climbed in after him.

They rougly sat him down against the mast and then left for their seats at the oars. Basim watched as Eivor made her way to the sternpost. He pressed his arm against his side again and pulled up his leg to try and make it himself a bit more comfortable, but the truth was that the mast of a longship wasn't a very comfortable backrest.

"Man the oars!" Eivor yelled as she jumped up and put her arm around the stern. Everyone who hadn't already been in their seats sat down and took up the oar. "The whale-road leads us home!" 

The ship slowly moved away from the shore and Basim felt a knot in his stomach. This was not right. Things were not going as he had planned. But then why did it _feel_ right?

He watched Eivor as she shouted for the sail to be let down. The crew did as she commanded. She stood there effortlessly as a natural leader. Her stance was strong, her eyes set on the horizon. 

Why had she come back for him? After everything he had done she had come back, talking of the Mad One being gone and the possibility of him getting rid of Loki...

Everything around him suddenly darkened, faster than the sun had been going down just a moment ago, and Eivor and her crew disappeared, but he knew what was happening when he saw the mist.

"What are you doing? Go kill her _now_ and get back to the vault," Loki said as he appeared from behind the mast and stepped in front of Basim. "You have your blade. If you set off one of your spare smoke bombs, you can take some of the crew as well, turn around the boat and go back into the Grey."

Basim sighed and looked up at himself— no, at Loki, who had his hands at his sides and looked down at him with an agitated expression.

"I'm wounded," was all he said in response and gestured at his side.

Loki stepped closer and squatted in front of him while he pointed his finger threateningly. "When has that ever stopped us before? I carried you through each defeat, each time you bled, each time you fell, and I'll do it again."

Basim thought of his recent battles, the ones he had fought at Eivor's side. Yes, he had bled, and yes, Loki had kept him going. It was so easy to fight with Loki guiding his sword and taking away the pain from his wounds, but he had not fought for Loki back then. He had fought for Sigurd and for Eivor and he would've kept doing it, if Loki had let him. 

_"We shared so much in England. Fought and bled together!"_ he heard Eivor shout from his memories while she was defending herself against him. He had not listened to her back then. Loki wouldn't let him. He had completely taken over, like a wolf who had gone berserk at the smell of blood.

It felt like that had happened a hundred years ago. His time in the Grey had felt like a lifetime.

"She came back for me," Basim said while he tried to slap away Loki's finger, but his hand went right through it as Loki dissolved into smoke and reappeared, now standing upright again, his arms crossed.

"You're getting soft, Basim," Loki spat. "You're forgetting we were supposed to stay there until the Heir of Memories arrived. Until I could be reunited with Angrboda, with my love. Have you forgotten about her?"

Basim tightened his jaw. Of course he hadn't. How could he forget, when Loki made sure everything he did was for her and for the vengeance in the name of his son.

"What of _my_ family?" he asked.

Loki snorted. 

"You don't have a family. You're me. There's nothing for you besides my goals. You're just a vessel.

Basim grimaced. The amount of times he had heard those words...

"Now, you've been saying that to me all my life, yet I have just as much power in here as you do... if not more."

"Unfortunately," Loki said, the disdain showing on his face. "And that is exactly why the Mad One is not dead yet." He started pacing in front of Basim, not paying attention to where he put down his feet. It was not necessary. The boat was gone except for the mast Basim was still sitting against, and everything around them was dark and empty; just like it had before Eivor had released him today. 

"So this is what we're going to do: You're going to take out a smoke bomb and set it off, then you're going to dig that knife into Havi's heart and then, while you're still hidden by the smoke, assassinate as many crew members as you can. The rest of them you'll have to fight, but that won't be a problem with my guidance," Loki explained.

Basim chuckled.

"The High One—," he began, but Loki pulled up his nose, "I'm sorry _master_ ," he corrected himself in disdain, "The Mad One is already gone. Our task has been cleared for us by the Wolf-Kissed herself," he finished.

Loki stopped pacing.

"Don't make me laugh. You don't believe her, do you? She just said that to earn your trust."

Eivor wouldn't have had a reason to lie. She'd had nothing to lose when she had returned for him. 

Basim stood up and braced himself for the jolt of pain in his side, which would surely come, but to his surprise it didn't. 

"I do believe her," he replied to Loki, whose smile immediately fell. 

Loki threateningly put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his belt. Basim tried to do the same, but realised his sword was not there. Eivor had taken it.

"She lied. We cannot be banished..," Loki said.

He attacked.

Basim ducked, no longer slowed down by his injury. Loki's sword cut through the air where his head had been just a second ago.

"...but maybe you can," Loki added. He immediately lunged again. Now the sword threatened to hit Basim from above. He had to roll out of the way.

This time he did not wait for Loki to regain his footing. Instead he stood up, pushed out his hidden blade and aimed it at Loki's side. The blade disappeared in his flesh. Loki hissed, but it sounded more like frustration than pain.

He dissolved into smoke again. Basim's blade was empty of blood. He retracted it again and turned, searching for Loki.

"Are you going to hide like the snake you are?" Basim growled.

A sudden force against the back of his had knocked him to the ground. He caught himself on his hands and knees. He grunted at the pain which quickly spread through the rest of his head and blinked fervently to make the black spots in his vision disappear.

"I'll do whatever is necessary to get rid of you," Loki replied from behind him.

Basim shot up just in time as Loki's sword hit the ground with a clang. His mind whirred, fervently looking for a solution of how to defeat Loki. He was not going to make it with just his hidden blade. Not when Loki could keep his distance with a sword.

Loki did not keep still. He slashed his sword through the air time after time, but Basim evaded every single one. This was what he was good at, what he had trained for as a Hidden One.

"Will you not die?" Loki said, just like he had done when he had fought Eivor. When he had made Basim fight Eivor.

Basim grinned.

"Not here. Not by your hand," he replied, repeating Eivor's words. He threw his last smoke bomb. The one which had been hidden inside his robes. Loki screamed, his rage shaking the air. Basim closed in on him and made to dig his blade into Loki's guts, but the trickster saw him at the last moment and slashed at his approaching wrist.

Basim roared at the immense pain in his arm and fell to his knees again. His amputated hand and wrist, which still contained the hidden blade, fell to the ground in front of him. He cradled the bloody stump that was now the end of his left arm.

"Tell me _Hidden One_ ," Loki said as he stood in front of him, "...how you're going to defeat me with no weapons." He kicked away the severed hand.

Basim had trouble breathing, let alone being able to get away from Loki. Was this truly possible? Could Loki kill him and take over his body? 

Would Eivor even notice what was going on right now? Would she know she was in danger of being killed by Loki? In her eyes it would seem like he was betraying her yet again. The thought caused a pang of sorrow in his chest. 

Basim looked up. Loki was still staring at him, a grin on his face, his sword lazily resting on his shoulder.

"You're pathetic, Basim. We could've done great things together." 

Loki held out his sword again and spun it around in his hand, ready to make the final blow.

"I'm sorry, Eivor," Basim whispered. "I—,"

Suddenly they were hurled to the side. Basim easily caught himself with his good arm. Loki came down hard a few meters away, letting go of his sword in the process. His fall made a splashing sound and Basim noticed the ground was covered in water.

"What is this?" Loki hissed.

Basim used the sudden distraction to get up and create distance between him and Loki again. He had trouble keeping his footing as the ground was now rocking back and forth intensely.

"Basim!" Someone yelled his name. 

That voice...

He glanced sideways at the place the voice had come from. It was Hytham. 

"Hytham, get out. You're in danger," Basim said as he clumsily made his way towards him, meanwhile not letting Loki out of his sight. The trickster had gotten up and was now looking around for his sword, which had disappeared somewhere in the sloshing water.

"Basim, you'll need this," someone else said. 

Basim couldn't help but turn around entirely now, forgetting to keep his eyes on his enemy.

"Eivor," he said.

She stepped from behind Hytham and walked towards him, a warm smile splayed on her face. In her hands she held his sword. Basim met her half way. He didn't dare blink. He was scared she would disappear if he did.

"Get the bastard," she said as she held out the hilt of his sword towards him. Basim grabbed it with his right hand. 

He grinned as he felt the trusty weight of the sword. A surge of energy seemed to radiate from it and made its way through his limbs. 

"Thank you, Wolf-Kissed."

Eivor smirked. Basim wanted to reach out to her with his left hand, but quickly pulled his arm away when he realised it was... not there anymore. 

Eivor's eyes suddenly widened.

"Duck. Now!" she shouted.

Basim did and he looked up as a sword flew over his head, right through Eivor and Hytham who both disappeared into smoke. He got up and turned. Loki was running right at him, his face contorted in rage.

This time it was Basim's time to spin around his sword. He held his bleeding arm against him and easily dodged as Loki jumped at him, hands outstretched, aiming to take him down.

Loki wheeled around and roared like a wild beast. Basim did not give him the time to lunge at him again. He pointed the end of his sword at Loki's throat. Loki bared his teeth at him.

"You're right," Basim said, "We could've done great things together. If only you hadn't made it all about you." 

With the last of his energy he swung his sword and cut Loki's head clean off. The body slunk to the ground and disappeared in the turbulent water.

Basim slowly breathed out through his nose, grunting at the pain which suddenly returned in ten-fold to his arm.

He sat down on the rocking ground, the rising water drenching him. He let go of his sword which immediately disappeared, and held his wounded arm at his chest, careful not to let it touch the water for it was probably sea water, considering the circumstances he had been before the fight, and the wound hurt enough as it was without salt to aggravate it.

Basim felt a sense of calm wash over him. The dark space around him was suddenly emptier and quieter than it had ever been. For the first time in his life he was able to think without Loki clouding his mind.


	3. To The Life-Tree We Shall One Day Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story! I hope you enjoyed it so far. The last chapter has become a bit longer than the previous two, so I hope you won't mind. Eivor x Basim lives rent-free in my mind 24/7 and I had too many ideas! Have a lovely day and enjoy this last chapter!

**Eivor**

The parallels of their arduous hike to the boat and the same one she had made with Sigurd all those months ago did not escape Eivor. That time she had been the one who had needed support, because of the knife wound in her side caused by Basim's last attempt to put her down. She had tried to hide the severity of the wound from the rest of her crew during the entire journey back to Ravensthorpe and had tried to stitch it back together herself in her room in the longhouse; however, her hands had been shaking so much that Randvi had taken over the job without comment when she came to check up on her, while Eivor, determined to keep her mind from Hjordafylke and Basim, drank until she forgot her own name.

While they rowed out of the valley, Eivor noticed her crew occasionally looking at her with confused expressions or glancing at Basim with suspicion in their eyes.

They hadn't known about Eivor's plan to bring him back. She had told them all she was going to do was get Gungnir, Odin's spear, which she had, but it hadn't been the main goal of their journey to Hordafylke.

While Eivor stood at the stern, looking out over the horizon, she felt a sense of control return to her again by being in charge of her beloved crew and boat. They would understand at some point that Basim, hopefully, posed no threat anymore and that it was her wish to bring him back.

While the ship slowly moved out of the valley, Eivor also felt lighter. As if a weight had been dragging her down ever since she and Sigurd had left Basim that last time. Now that he was with her once more, sailing back home, things were starting to feel right again, even though she didn't know what their places in each other's lives would be from now on.

The longship sailed further and further away from Norway and the sky started getting darker. Eivor noticed the crew lost interest in watching Basim warily from the corner of their eyes and she dared to glance at him herself for the first time since they got on the boat. She half expected he would be looking at her as well, but his eyes were closed, his hood almost hiding them from view. His left hand was pressed against his ribs once more while the other was perched in his lap, one knee pulled up.

She decided to sit down herself as well, the intense activities of the day finally starting to take its toll on her. She beckoned for Sunniva to come over.

"I'm going to close my eyes for a bit. You don't have to watch his every move, but tell me if something happens," she told the scout. Sunniva nodded and walked off again.

Eivor lowered herself against the sternpost. Now that Basim appeared to be sleeping, she finally dared to let down her guard. Her eyelids were heavy and so they fell closed, images of the Life Tree and the nine worlds around it flashing through her mind as she fell asleep.

* * *

"Eivor. Eivor!" Someone was at her side, shaking her shoulder.

"Hm?" She opened her eyes slowly and tried to make out the form beside her in the moonlight. It was Sunniva. Her eyes were wide and showed a hint of panic.

"Something's wrong with him," she said. Eivor was immediately wide awake, knowing right away whom Sunniva was talking about, and scrambled up. She followed her scout to the mast, where Basim was still sitting, but now slumped sideways. Eivor crouched beside him, her hand on his shoulder, to get a good look at him. His eyelids were closed, but behind them his eyes were restless. Through her hand she also felt his body was shaking heavily and beads of sweat reflected the moonlight on his face. With her other hand, she felt his forehead.

"Gods!" she muttered. "He's burning up. Sunniva get me a wet cloth."

"Of course," Sunniva replied and scrambled away.

In the meantime Eivor grabbed a blanket from under Bragi's seat — the man was sleeping and never used his blanket anyway — and rolled it up. Then she took down Basim's hood and laid him down on the deck, resting his head on the blanket. Sunniva returned with a neatly folded cloth, drenched in drinking water, which Eivor accepted and lay on Basim's forehead.

"There's not much else we can do now. Thank you Sunniva," Eivor said. Sunniva nodded and walked off towards her seat. Eivor stayed crouched next to Basim for a minute or so, watching his restless eyes and his chest which rose and fell irregularly. Then she returned to the stern and tried to close her eyes, just like most of her crew, but sleep did not come again.

The night felt like it lasted for days. Fortunately the sea was calm and some of the crew members looked like they were getting a good night's rest. Others, like Eivor, didn't have such luck.

At dawn she returned to check up on Basim. He was still asleep.

"The man has been shaking the whole night," Rollo muttered from his seat next to her. His arms were folded and his legs lazily stretched out before him, his head rested against the side of the boat.

Eivor took away the cloth from Basim's brow and felt his forehead again. The hours hadn't changed much in his temperature nor the restlessness in his body.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Rollo asked. Eivor looked at Basim's face. There was a look of concentration on it. She had an idea of what could be going on.

"I think he's fighting," she replied. Rollo frowned.

"Fighting?"

Eivor nodded. She didn't care to elaborate further. She had no intentions of telling her crew about... everything. Imagine what would happen if she told them about her being an incarnation of Odin, not to speak of what they would do if they knew of Basim's past life. It was better if they were left in the dark on this occasion.

* * *

Basim did not wake up that day. Eivor started feeling worried. He had been so weak when she took him out of Goinnhellir and he had not eaten or drank anything. At some point his body would surely give in.

The crew sang and told each other stories to pass the time, but Eivor could not enjoy it. When she wasn't looking out over the horizon, trying to keep her mind from Basim and his shaking form, she was at his side, cooling his face with a cloth.

However, during the night a few things happened at the same time. The weather had changed, the wind had sped up, and the waves had rose higher. The boat was rocking violently and soon the sail would have to be let down or it would tear.

Basim had also started mumbling.

"Eivor, come!" Sunniva called her from near the mast. Eivor got up from her position against the stern and approached the mast. Basim was still asleep, but his lips were moving rapidly.

"Is he saying something?" Sunniva asked.

Eivor sat down on her knees. "I don't know," she replied. She put her hand on Basim's shoulder. "Basim? Can you hear me?"

"No..." Basim whispered, seemingly with a lot of effort. Eivor scrambled closer to be able to hear what he said further. She silenced the muttering of the crew members around her who had woken up with a gesture of her hand, while her eyes did not leave Basim's lips.

"...weapons," he finally said.

Eivor did not understand immediately. Her mind whirred over the possibilities of why Basim had said those words, but then it dawned on her.

"No weapons," she repeated and started unfastening the sword she had taken from him from her belt. She had completely forgotten about it as she was used to carrying a large amount of weapons on her at all times.

"Now why would you do that?" someone asked as he grabbed Eivor's arm. Rollo.

"I told you already," she replied, "He is fighting."

Rollo snorted and let go of her arm. "Eivor—"

She suddenly grabbed his wrist firmly as he pulled it back.

"Rollo, I trusted you enough to become a member of my crew and that's not something I do lightly. In return I ask only two things of you. The first is that you lend me your axe. The second is that you trust me in return. Will you do that?" She fixed him with a stern gaze. He was silent for a few seconds.

"Of course," he finally replied and inclined his head while not breaking their eye contact.

"Good." Eivor let go of his arm and turned back around to Basim; however, at that moment a large wave caught the boat and it dangerously heaved sideways. Water crashed into the boat and everything became drenched immediately.

"Take down the sail!" Eivor yelled at her crew members, who were all wide awake now. They immediately leaped into action. "Start rowing!" she added, "Otherwise the waves will take us down!" The oars were readied and among grunts and groans from the crew they spun into action.

Meanwhile Eivor quickly finished unfastening Basim's sword and then put it back in the sheath Basim was still carrying at his belt. Then she took his right hand from his side and put it on top of its hilt. While she did it she felt Rollo's gaze on her and when she looked up, he was indeed looking at her while he strained his arms and torso in the rhythm of the moving oars. She nodded once at him and he returned the gesture. Eivor stood up, trying not to fall over on the slippery, rocking deck, gave Rollo a clap on his shoulder, and returned to the sternpost.

* * *

They made it through the night without sinking; however, everyone was exhausted and the spirits were low. No one was singing or telling stories now. The storm had surely made their journey longer by at least half a day and because of the water which had crashed into the boat a couple of times, everyone was freezing. The sky was overcast which quenched the hopes of the sun drying their wet clothes.

Eivor sat with her legs folded in front of the sun board, trying to make out if they were still sailing on course, while Rollo watched over her shoulder, but of course there was no shadow on the board for there was no sun.

"Do you have the sunstone?" she asked the helmsman. He nodded and handed it to here while not leaving the steerboard. Eivor held up the stone and searched the sky until she had found the sun. She checked the board again using the stone as its light source. The shadow on it was too long.

"We've drifted. We must steer further south," she told the helmsman, who slightly adjusted the direction of the steerboard.

Suddenly there was a groan from the direction of the mast. Eivor looked up from the board. Basim stirred. She scrambled up and pressed the sunstone into Rollo's hands.

"Please keep an eye on the board for me," she told him and then made her way towards Basim, who was now trying to lift his head.

"Basim," she said as she reached him and helped him sit up against the mast. "You're finally awake."

Basim looked up with confusion in his eyes and tried to make a sound, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"Here you go," Eivor said as she handed him her waterskin. He accepted it and took a few gulps, then his eyes suddenly widened.

"My hand..." he said with a weak voice. He handed the waterskin back to her and then held up his left hand. He looked at it as if he saw it for the first time in his life. Eivor watched him patiently, not understanding what was so special about his left hand, but not wanting to interrupt him either. He touched his the back of his hand with his other one and then let his finger slide down to his hidden blade on the bottom of his wrist.

"You've been asleep for two days," Eivor told him. At those words he looked up at her.

"Two days? That's impossible," he said. He then looked around at the rest of the boat. Many of the crew members were watching.

"Yet it's true."

"To me it felt like less than an hour." Basim tried to sit up straighter, but grimaced. So the pain in his ribs must surely still be there.

"Let me get you something to eat," Eivor said and started gathering some provisions from around the boat. She returned with bread and some dried meat. "It's not much, but we had a slight water problem last night. Everything got soaked."

"I've noticed," Basim said as he gestured at his own wet clothes, though he gratefully took the food.

"How are you feeling?" Eivor asked finally before she would leave him alone to eat in peace.

He looked her in the eyes and a small smirk played around his lips. "I'm feeling great," he replied. Eivor felt a hopeful flutter in her stomach. Could he have done it? Could he have defeated Loki like she had defeated Odin? She didn't dare ask him right away. Not with her crew listening in. She nodded and left him alone.

* * *

It took two more days to reach Ravensthorpe during which Eivor and Basim barely spoke to each other, or rather Basim barely spoke to anyone, instead sitting quietly at the mast or at the front of the ship, his eyes unfocused on anything, looking like he was deep in thought. However he clearly built up strength quickly as he was able to stand up and walk in merely a few hours after he had woken up and barely slept anymore during the remaining days at sea.

As Eivor finally got off the boat and stretched her limbs, she saw Hytham walking up to her, a hopeful expression in his eyes.

"Is he here?" he asked her. Eivor smiled and stepped to the side. Hytham eagerly walked past her and approached Basim who was getting off the boat behind her. At first they stood in front of each other awkwardly, but then Basim hugged Hytham warmly.

Eivor smiled to herself again and then searched the crowd who had gathered at the docks for Sigurd. She found him and caught his eyes. He approached her and wrapped her in his arms.

"I've missed you, brother," Eivor mumbled in his shoulder.

"And I you," Sigurd replied. "I almost wanted to send out a search party after there was still no sign of you yesterday."

"We were caught in a storm," she explained, "but we're all home now." She felt Sigurd sigh and as she let him go he looked over at Basim.

"I've been thinking while you were gone, Eivor, and I've come to the conclusion that you've done the right thing. I know I have nothing to say anymore now that you're leader of the Raven clan, but I wanted you to know anyway."

"Thank you, brother. That means a lot to me," Eivor said as she squeezed her brother's shoulder. A feeling of joy suddenly surged through her and she ran and jumped up onto some crates. She put her hands at her mouth.

"Ravens!" she began. "I couldn't be more overjoyed to be home again. Make preparations. Tonight we feast!" There were lots of cheers around her. Eivor laughed at her beloved Jomsvikings, who roared the loudest of all. Then she jumped down from the crates and retreated to the longhouse. She could use a few extra hours of sleep.

* * *

That night at the feast Eivor drank, no longer held back by feelings of guilt, confusion and longing. She won two drinking games: one against Rollo and one against the Raven clan's tattoo artist, Tove, and lost one against her blacksmith, Gunnar. She was properly tipsy when she finally dared to approach Basim, who was standing alone against one of the pillars of the longhouse.

"I hope you're having fun," she said as she leaned against the pillar beside him. Basim did not reply. Instead he held his empty drinking horn and looked out over the festivities around them.

"I'm leaving in the morning," he told her after a minute or two. Eivor didn't know what to say for a few seconds.

"Why? You just got here," she finally said.

"It's obvious not everyone wants me here and after everything that's happened, I am not surprised. I've already talked to Hytham about it. He will stay here and continue his duties for the Hidden Ones."

"If you're referring to my crew, you don't have to worry about anything. They've seen everything by now, and I know them like the back of my mind. Their hostility will melt after a few drinks."

Basim chuckled. "I'm sorry, Eivor. I've made up my mind."

Eivor sighed at his words, but what could she do? Chain the man up? No, he could do as he pleased.

"If that's what you wish, I won't stop you. I'll give you a horse and some provisions," she said, then grabbed his drinking horn from his hand, "But first we shall drink. It's the least you owe me for travelling all the way to Norway for your arse." She went to fill both his and her horn in one of the ale tubs and then returned to give one back to Basim.

"Skål!" she said as they clinked their horns and both drank. They did not stop drinking after those two horns. They were refilled time after time as the evening passed. Eivor had never seen Basim drink that much before. He was surely making up for the time he hadn't had a drop of ale as he hung from the branches of Yggdrasil. The two of them drank and laughed and wandered around the longhouse, each talking and dancing with many different, equally intoxicated folk. Each time it never took long, however, for them to find their way back to each other to refill each other's horns or joke with one another, meanwhile trying to find as many excuses as possible to put a hand on each other's arm or shoulder, or jokily bump into each other. Eivor liked this new, seemingly more care-free version of Basim and she was starting to enjoy this game of stolen glances and sneaky touches, meanwhile blaming the impulses on the ale and trying not to think about the fact that he was leaving in the morning.

"What do I have to do to make you have the time of your life?" Eivor asked at a given moment as she was sitting next to him on a bench, while looking out over the decreasing crowd lingering about the longhouse. Her head was swimming slightly and her speech had begun to slur. Basim did not reply at first, but then looked up with a smirk on his face.

"That's easy, Wolf-Kissed," he said. "Kiss me." He teasingly moved his leg so his knee was touching hers.

Eivor felt herself smile and slowly leaned in closer to him. He did not move away. She softly kissed him on the lips.

"Like that?" she whispered. Basim smiled.

"No."

Eivor narrowed her eyes and leaned back. She downed the last bit of ale from her horn and then got up.

"Come," she said to him. She led him, both of them half stumbling, to her room.

They were barely inside before he grabbed her around her waist, pulled her towards him and kissed her. Eivor felt like she was hit by a lightning storm again, just like when she had touched the metal sphere in the cave in Hordafylke; however this time she was able to move. She put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He tasted like ale and smelled of sweat, but she drank it in like both things were completely new to her senses.

Basim kissed her like he had been starving for it and when he finally broke away, he had a wicked expression in his eyes. Eivor had to catch her breath.

"If I had known you could kiss like that I would've invited you to my room when you stepped off that boat back in Fornburg," she said, then kissed him again.

Basim smiled against her lips. "I've wanted you for so long," he mumbled.

She broke away again, with some effort, but he still held her tightly around her waist.

"To kill me, you mean?" she asked jokingly, but Basim's expression turned serious.

"That was not me, Eivor," he said while he looked her straight in the eyes. She searched his glance for the deeper meaning behind his words, but finally asked the question anyway.

"So he's gone now?" The words came out like a whisper.

He slowly closed his eyes and put his forehead against hers. "Yes, thanks to you."

Eivor could not describe how she felt at hearing those words. It was everything she'd hoped would happen after she had freed him from the cave. Well, almost everything. He was still leaving in the morning and she could not make herself understand why he would do that. Was it embarrassment? Or him wanting to begin with a clean slate? Or did being near her give him too many painful memories?

Whatever the reason, it was still happening and she would not beg him to stay. She was a Jarlskona and couldn't damage her reputation like that. That did not mean she couldn't enjoy being with him this last night, though, so she kissed him again. This time she was the one who felt hungry and he was only too happy to submit.

She gently pushed him onto her bed and sat down in his lap, meanwhile deftly getting rid of his robes. The ale might've made her head cloudy, but her fingers worked like they had a mind of their own. He groaned when she started kissing his neck and went down to his shoulder and back up again.

"I've wanted you for a long time as well," she said. "Ever since we fought alongside each other in Cent I—," she trailed off as Basim started to loosen the cords of her tunic, took it off over her head and threw it away. Completely forgotten what she'd wanted to say, she wrapped her arms around his neck again and roughly put her lips on his. She pushed him backwards, until she was laying on top of him, but the movements caused his face to contort and he hissed through his teeth. Eivor remembered his painful ribs and quickly moved her weight, so she wasn't laying directly on top of him anymore.

"You probably should let someone look at that," she said.

Basim sighed and smiled. "Yeah, maybe I should. I'll tell the healer I got bested by a formidable foe."

Eivor laughed. "That you definitely did."

They continued their exploration of each other's bodies and soon the rest of their clothes were scattered around the room. The noise of the feast in the background had died down while they had been in Eivor's room and only the occasional drunk shanty could be heard.

"You're beautiful," Basim said while his hands caressed Eivor's body as she lay with her back on top of the furs on her bed and he lay beside her, his arm propped up underneath him. The light touch of his fingers caused goosebumps to appear on her skin. Slowly, they made their way down towards her legs and her breath shuddered. He teased her by going around in circles and touching her everywhere but where she really wanted him to, until he finally did.

A moan was all that came out of her and while he kept going, she pulled his head down until their lips were touching again.

"What are you thinking of?" Basim asked with a hoarse voice, his lips still moving against hers, as he surely felt her getting wetter.

Eivor smiled and gently pulled him back up by his hair. "That I want you inside me," she replied, but sighed regretfully as she felt his hand leaving the space between her legs. He leaned back.

"Is that really what you want?"

In reply she opened her legs wider. Basim smirked.

"Very well," he said as he slowly climbed on top of her and positioned himself between her legs. She moaned again as he gently pushed himself inside her.

They moved together as if they were one, clinging to each other as if letting go was unthinkable. Their rhythm was like a dance to slow drums, the base felt through every nerve in the body. They could not get enough of each other... not close enough... not deep enough. Their skin shone with sweat over their moving muscles. The rhythm took up pace, the imaginary drums beating faster and faster, accompanied by moans and heavy breathing, until they climaxed and Eivor felt Basim's warmth spread inside her. She still clung onto him.

"I love you, Wolf-Kissed," Basim whispered with his lips against her ear.

* * *

Eivor woke up to the sound of birds and was immediately greeted by a feeling of warmth inside her, alongside a slight headache from the ale of course. Last night felt like a dream.

Her blissful bubble was suddenly popped, however, when she felt the empty space beside her on the bed. Basim was gone.

She shot up, hissing at the sting of pain it caused in her head, but pushed through it, started gathering together her clothes and put them on. Basim's clothes were no where to be seen. After last night, he had still left.

She quickly made her way outside. The sky was pink from the rising sun and the ordinary noise of her settlement waking up could be heard all around her. She ignored all of it and ran towards the stables. A lonely figure stood there. It was Hytham.

"Hytham!" Eivor called out as she approached him. He turned and looked at her, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"He just left. I tried to talk him out of it, but failed. I'm sorry, Eivor," he said.

"You're not to blame, Hytham. What way did he go?" she asked as she went to get a horse. Pomers, her favourite horse, was gone, so she pulled out Parsifal instead and put a bridle on his head.

"He followed that road out of the settlement. If you're quick, you might be able to catch up with him," Hytham replied, his voice sounding hopeful.

"Thank you!" she said and smiled at him. Then she jumped onto Parsifal's back, not bothering to put on a saddle, and clicked with her tongue. She raced off, leaving Hytham alone again at the stables.

Eivor followed the road Hytham had pointed out, out of the settlement. The road was marked by fresh hoofprints, so Basim had definitely gone this way. She urged her horse to go faster, meanwhile trying to swallow away a lump in her throat. Why had Basim left without saying goodbye? Why had he left at all? She had really hoped last night would've... changed things.

She had told him she wouldn't stop him, she had vowed to herself she wouldn't beg him to stay, but now she couldn't just let it happen anymore. Damn her reputation and damn everything that had happened between them in the past. She wanted to be with him.

At the deadly speed she was going, it didn't take long before she saw a rider in the distance. Her heart made a leap and she made her horse go straight for the lonely figure. As the figure became bigger and bigger, Eivor could clearly see it was him. There was no mistaking his white and red robes, and dark cloak. When she caught up with him, she pulled her horse to a stop right in front of his.

"Eivor," he said surprised.

She tried to catch her breath from the strain and stress that had been raging through her since the moment she had noticed he was gone, but now those feelings slowly left her body.

"You took my favourite horse," she finally said.

Basim chuckled. "I apologise."

Eivor sat awkwardly and looked at him, suddenly unable to think of something to say. Basim seemed to have the same trouble.

When she finally opened her mouth to say something, Basim did the same, so they both fell quiet again.

"After you," he said, so Eivor got off her horse and approached him. She gently grabbed his arm as she looked up at him.

"If you meant any word of what you said last night," she began, her mind flashing back to his lips against her ear telling her he loved her, and the joy she had felt afterwards, "then please don't go."

He gazed at her intently as if in internal struggle. "What of everything that's happened, Eivor? How could we hope to forget something like that?"

"We don't have to, Basim. I forgave you a long time ago and now that you're free of Loki, you can start forgiving yourself."

At those words he averted his eyes and pursed his lips slightly. Eivor didn't let go of his arm. She wouldn't let go of him again.

"Is this what it's going to be like from now? You convincing me to come with you?"

Eivor smirked. "It doesn't have to be if you stop running away," she replied.

Basim sighed, but then finally dismounted his horse, for which Eivor had to let go of his arm, but he walked up to her and put his arms around her waist.

"I couldn't have stayed away long from you anyway. In my heart I was secretly hoping you would come after me," he said.

Eivor looked in his eyes and smiled sadly. She caressed the side of his face. "Of course I would've come after you."

He leaned forward and kissed her. Eivor felt herself drown in his embrace all over again, just like last night. She would never get used to it. She opened her mouth slightly and their tongues touched gently. Basim deepened the kiss and pushed her until she was leaning against the flank of one of the horses.

When they finally broke away from each other, Eivor felt her lips tingle and her knees felt weak.

"Come, I want to show you something," she said.

They both mounted their horses again, Basim took Pomer again, despite Eivor's protests, and then rode back towards Ravensthorpe. Instead of going inside the settlement, however, they took a road that went up the hill. She led him towards a stream under some big trees and stopped.

"We're here." Eivor dismounted Parsifal.

Basim looked out at the view. From here the whole settlement could be seen, including the longhouse, the big tree, the barracks, the Hidden Ones' bureau, the docks, the cemetery and the stables.

"It's beautiful," he said. He dismounted as well and left Pomer to graze the fresh grass as he approached the stream and sat down next to it, meanwhile looking out at the view. Eivor watched his movements as she fiddled with the reins of her horse, but then left it to graze as well.

"Will you tell me about where you grew up, and of your time in Constantinople?" she asked as she approached him.

Basim looked up at her and smiled warmly. "Of course."

She sat down in-between his legs and he put his arms around her, his head resting against hers, and he started telling her about his life, completely devoid of trickster gods, wolves, giants and one-eyed ravens.


End file.
